The Structure of the Artistic Text

Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman is an outstanding Soviet literary scholar and cultural scientist, one of the pioneers of the structural-semiotic approach to the study of literature and culture.

“Structure of the Artistic Text” is one of the main works of the Tartu semiotic school, created by the author.

Any work of art is a riddle that requires solving. In his monograph “Structure of the Artistic Text,” Y. M. Lotman offers the reader a tool for understanding artistic meanings: with it, reading books and contemplating paintings turns into an exciting intellectual investigation.

The book is among the key works of the Tartu semiotic school that Lotman founded and led. Here, art is viewed as a complex system of signs, where each element—word, image, composition—has its own purpose and functions as a means of knowing. The author demonstrates his conclusions through examples from various arts: he analyzes literary texts, turns to painting, and discusses cinema.